UN Environment is helping the government of Rwanda to build the climate resilience of people living near the Gishwati area through the project "Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change by Establishing Early Warning and Disaster Preparedness Systems and Support for Integrated Watershed Management in Flood Prone Areas". The local population depends hugely on rain-fed crops, but the region is under immense pressure from climate change and erratic rainfall.
The project’s main approaches were to: Build an extensive early warning climate system to help farmers prepare in advance for extreme weather; develop alternative climate-resilient livelihoods like beekeeping; restore over 1,300 hectares of forests to reduce floods and drought; and plant 91,700 fruit trees to enhance food security.